Recent advances in medical technology have caused the proliferation of man made devices which are utilized for blood processing. During blood processing, air is often mixed with the blood necessitating the removal of air bubbles or the "defoaming" of the blood before returning it to the patient. During open heart surgery, for example, extracorporeal medical devices are utilized to oxygenate and/or regulate the temperature of blood in the extracorporeal circuit. Certain devices are utilized within the circuit to "defoam" or remove excessive air bubbles which may be present in the blood. Bubble oxygenators, for example, must have a very efficient defoaming section to remove gas bubbles from oxygenated blood. One such defoaming device is the cardiotomy reservoir, which, in addition to its blood storing capability, removes a large quantity of air and impurities generated during intracardiac and intrapericardial suctioning. Other devices which may require blood defoaming include blood filters, blood reservoirs, autotransfusion devices or any blood handling device wherein the blood may encounter air bubbles.
Defoaming is typically accomplished by providing a very large surface area which is covered by a defoaming agent. The surface area is usually composed of a synthetic material, such as polyurethane foam, polypropylene mesh, polyvinylchloride strips, or stainless steel wool. Various defoaming agents which prevent or dissipate foam are known to those skilled in the art. The most commonly used defoaming agents which are applied to blood contacting devices are polydimethylsiloxane or a mixture of polydimethylsiloxane and silicon dioxide. These compounds are presently manufactured by Dow Corning and marketed under the trademarks ANTIFOAM A.RTM. and SIMETHICONE.RTM..
Despite the clinical success involved with the application of defoaming agents to such extracorporeal devices as bubble oxygenators and cardiotomy reservoirs, a serious and persistent problem is that significant blood trauma is caused by the blood-air interactions and the large synthetic blood contacting surfaces. Thus, in order to prevent thrombus formation, it has become essential to administer anticoagulant agents, such as coumadin or heparin. Since the direct administration of these agents to the patient may increase the risk of patient bleeding, attention has turned to treating medical articles themselves with anticoagulant agents.
What is needed, then, is a coating for medical devices that provides both defoaming characteristics as well as blood compatibility.